In a typical subscription-based television system, programming content is transmitted from a “headend” facility, such as via satellite, cable, or other communications medium, and is received at a subscriber's premises via a set-top box (STB) that processes the transmission signal for display, such as on a television screen or other display device, and/or for recording, such as on a personal video recorder (PVR). In addition to programming content, headends often transmit messages to STBs, such as Entitlement Management Messages (EMMs) that enable STBs to control subscriber access to programming content. Such messages are often time-sensitive, such as where an EMM relates to the broadcast of a live sporting event that takes place during a specific time period, and thus headends will typically attempt to deliver time-sensitive messages in advance of their relevant time periods. Unfortunately, an STB that is powered down or that is in a stand-by mode when an attempt is made to deliver a time-sensitive message to the STB, might not receive the message in time.